Game apparatus.



D. S.'STAEBLER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1909.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

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'rwewboz D. S. STAEBLER. I

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1909;

Patented Jan. 18,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

tlNlllllED %TATE% PATENT @FFFQE.

DANIEL S. STAEBLER, OF GALVA, ILLINOIS.

GAME APPARATUS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL S. STAEBLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galva, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game apparatus of the bowling alley type and its object is to provide an apparatus of this character upon which several games of different kinds can be played by the addition or removal of parts of the structure.

Another object is to provide game apparatus including means whereby the balls used in bowling may be directed upwardly during the latter portion of their movement along the alley or platform, the object to be struck being arranged above this elevated portion of the structure.

A further object is to provide ball-elevating means of a peculiar shape whereby the act of directing a ball thereonto is rendered difficult and the chance of making a high score thus materially reduced.

A further object is to provide a structure of this character having an elevated portion provided with means whereby it can be adjusted to a desired elevation and so as to terminate in either a horizontal or an inclined section.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this character, the elevated portion of which is designed to be used in connection with either suspended pivotally supported objects or loosely mounted base-supported objects, the two types of objects being used interchangeably if desired.

A further object is to provide a game apparatus the alley or platform of which has a reversible section, one face of said section being used during the ordinary game of bowling, while the other face thereof is recessed for use in playing a different game.

Another object is to provide means for setting up the loosely mounted base supported pins, this setting up apparatus being of simple and durable construction and easy to operate.

Another object is to provide various attachments for use in connection with different parts of the structure whereby the variety of games to be played in connection with the apparatus is considerably multiplied.

WVith these and other objects in view the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 12, 1909.

Patented J an. 18, 1910.

Serial No. 501,788.

invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus arranged to direct the balls upwardly against pivotally suspende'd objects. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the supplemental or elevating platf'irm being broken away to show the adjustable supports in section. Fig. 3 is a section on line AB Fig. 2. the supplemental or elevating platform having a part thereof broken away to show its adjustable support in section. Fig. 4- is a vertical longitudinal section through the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the front objects or targets shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one of the remaining targets. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line CD Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a per spective View of the back end portion of the platform or alley, showing a game attachment mounted thereon. Fig. 9 is a similar view of said back portion of the alley inverted and having another form of game attachment mounted thereon. Fig. 10 is a verticallongitudinal section through the upper rear portion of the apparatus and a settingup device mounted thereon, said device beiig provided in lieu of the target-supporting structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and at. Fig. 11 is a transverse section through the setting up mechanism. Fig. 12 is a horizontal section through said mechanism and showing the carriage in plan.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a supporting structure on which is mounted the inclined floor 2 of the alley, said floor being provided at its rear or back end with a removable and reversible section 3, one face of which is preferably smooth, so as to correspond with the upper surface of the remaining portion of the floor, while the other surface of the section 3 is preferably provided with series of recesses 4 arranged in longitudinal rows as indicated in Fig. 9. An opening 5 is formed in the front portion of the section 3 at the center thereof, and additional openings 6 are formed in the opposite end portion of the section 3 adjacent the sides of the section, these last mentioned openings being designed to receive the lower ends of stems 7 provided with collars 8 designed to rest upon the section 3 and thus support the stems perpendicularly to the section. The stems 7 are screw-threaded at their upper ends and are engaged by turn-buckles S), which, in turn, engage threaded. stems 10 projecting dmvnwardly from the end portions of a cross-strip 11, these stems 10 be: ing preferably pivotally connected to the cross strip. Said cross-strip 11 extends under and is secured to the back end of the rear panel 12 of the supplemental or elevating platform 13, said panel 12 being hingedly connected as at 1+1; to the front panel 15 of the supplemental platform, said front platform having a stud 1t projecting down *ardly from its front end and designed to be seated within the opening 5. The panel 12 is preferably tapered toward its hinged end, and the front panel 15 is also preferably tapered toward its front end, which, as indicated in Fig. 1, is comparatively narrow, and may be formed of. or covered with hard rubber or soft metal. The longitudinal edges of the panel 15 are provided with wearstrips 17, preferably formed of hard rubber and the corresponding edges of the panel 12 may be provided with detachable side extensions or wings 18 also having wear strips 17. and each of which is substantially triangular and is secured to the panel by means of any preferred fastening devices, one form of fastener being shown in Fig. 7. This :tastener consists merely of an angular strip 15). of metal having one end projecting beyond the edge of the panel 12 and designed to be seated within a strap or keeper 20. fastened upon the bottom face of the wing 18. Obviously various other means may be utilized in lieu of the one described and shown, it merely being necessary to provide a simple device for holding the wings firmly in position and permitting them to be readily removed. That portion of the section 3 located at the sides of the platform is inclined upwardly and rearwardly as shown at 15.

An inclined gutter 21 extends forwardly from either side of the pit 22 and is designed to return the balls to the front end of the alley as soon as they have been deposited in the pit, there being a pivotally supported pad or buffer constituting the back wall of the pit and bearing against the cushioning springs 2 1, which thus serve to assist in starting the balls upon their return movement along the gutter 21.

As indicated in Fig. 1 the section 3 of the floor of the alley is much broader than the section 2 thereof, although said last mentioned section is gradually broadened so as to properly merge into the section 3. there being parallel channels 25 along the edges of the section 2 and terminating within the broad panel 3 as shown in Fig. 1, these channels constituting gutters for returning to the front end of the alley any balls which may remain upon the alley and do not roll into the pit.

As heretofore stated various forms of targets may be used in connection with this apparatus. In the preferred construction a cross-strip 2G is mounted upon the frame of the apparatus and extends above and transversely of the section 3 and also above the panel 15, as shown in Fig. 1. This cross- .strip 26 has a target 27 suspended therefrom by means of a hanger 28 to which the target is pivotally connected, there being a loop 29. of metal or any other preferred material, which extends in front of the target at a point below the pivot thereof, so that while said target is free to swing backwardly, it will, upon its forward movement, move against the loop 29 and thus be held against further movement until it is again actuated. One of these targets 27 is preferably arranged between each side of the panel 15 and the adjoining side of the alley, there being sutlicient space at one side of the target to permit a ball to pass said target without touching it. The target can be in the form of a paddle, pin, bell, or any other preferred device. A shelf 30 is removably mounted upon the structure and above the pi. said shelf overhanging the panel 12 of the supplemental platform, and being provided with a desired number of targets which are suspended there-below. These targets, which have been indicated at 31, are preferably similar to the target 27, and each is pivotally mounted at its upper end upon a supporting rod which is fasened tothe overhanging portion of the shelf 30. The front target, which has been designated by the 111111161111 31*, has a U- shaped rod 33 extended through the lower portion thereof, the arms of the rod being slidably mounted within the shelf 30, there being openings 31 having their opposed walls converging upwardly, which permit both a sliding and a swinging movement of the arms. Heads 35 are arranged at the upper ends of the arms so as to prevent them from pulling downwardly out of the openings 31-. The other targets 31 are supported from the shelf 30 by means of rods 32, but instead of providing them with retaining arms such as indicated at 33, each of these targets has a stop loop 36 arranged in front thereof and projecting below its pivot, said loops being similar to the loop 21) heretofore described. Any desired number of these targets 31, and 31 can be utilized, said targets, if preferred, being arranged in the same manner as are the pins in the game of tenpins, or, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, seven of these targets may be provided, four or six being placed in the back row, two in the middle row, and one in front. It

is of course to be understood that these targets which are suspended from the platform 30 are disposed directly above thepanel 12, and said panel can be extended horizontally from the inclined panel 15, as shown in Fig. 4, or it can be inclined upwardly and rearwardly by adjusting the turn-buckle 9.

hen the parts are arranged in the manner hereinbefore described the game is played by rolling a predetermined number of balls along the alley, the object being to direct the balls with a suflicient degree of accuracy to cause them to ride onto the narrow front end of the inclined panel and thence upwardly along said panel against one or more of the targets so as to actuate as many of them as possible. If the ball fails to travel on to the panel 15 it will pass to one side or the other thereof and possibly strike one of the targets 27. In either event the ball will roll into the pit 22 and strike the pad or buffer 23. The springs 24 will thus be momentarily placed under stress and will promptly relax to return the pad or buffer to its initial position, this return movement of the pad being sufficient to start the ball on its return movement by way of the gutter 21. Should the ball be directed along the alley without reaching the rear end thereof it will return to the front of the alley by way of one of the channels 25-. The various targets may be numbered if desired so as to give each a distinctive value.

If preferred, pins similar to ordinary tenpins may be employed in lieu of the targets 31 and 31. In order to use such pins it is necessary to detach the shelf and to substitute therefor a casing such as indicated at 37, this casing being provided with three vertically extending guide rails 38 having grooves in which travel rollers 39 mounted upon the corners of a triangular carriage 4 This carriage has openings 41 therein arranged in the same manner as the spots on an ordinary ten-pin alley and cords 42 are secured within the openings and extend downwardly through corresponding openings 43 in the bottom of the casing 37, this apertured portion of said casing being arranged to overhang the spots upon the panel 12 and the corresponding spots which are located upon the section 3. The cords 42 have pins 44 attached to their lower ends, these pins being similar to the ordinary tenpins with the exception that their upper ends are preferably tapered instead of being provided with knobs as heretofore. An actuating cord 45 is secured to the carriage and extends upwardly through the top of the casing and over a suitable number of guide pulleys 46, said cord being then extended to any suitable point where it can be reached either by an attendant or by the person engaged in bowling. The openings 43 are tapered so that when the cord is pulled longitudinally and the carriage 30' elevated, the pointed ends of the pins 44 will be seated within these openings 43 and said pins thus properly positioned and steadied prior to being returned to the spots upon the panel 12 or the section 3 when the carriage 40 is lowered.

hen the pins shown in Figs. 10 and 11 are employed the auxiliary platform may be dispensed with if desired, it being merely necessary to lift the stems 7 out of the openings 6 and the lug 16 out of the opening 5 whereupon the panels 12 and 15 and the parts attached to them can be removed from the alley. As heretofore pointed out, the section 3 can be inverted so as to bring the recesses 4 uppermost, and, when this is done, another kind of game can be played with the apparatus, it being preferable to employ a stop block such as indicated at 47. This block extends throughout the width of the section 3 and the front face thereof is recessed so as to deflect objects toward the center thereof when they are brought into contact therewith. In using this part of the apparatus it is designed to employ balls 48 as the targets, three of them being preferably used and the same being placed initially upon the section 3, as shown in Fig. 9. The object is to strike these balls with an additional ball or projectile and to thus scatter them so as to cause them to be seated within certain of the recesses 4, all of the recesses being of different values. Instead of inverting the section 3 and using the block 47, a block such as indicated at 49 in Fig. 8 may be mounted upon the smooth face of the section 3 at the rear end thereof, the front or working face of the block being concave and there being a series of passages 50 through the block. These passages or openings have different values, and in playing a game in which the block is used it will be the object to direct a ball through the opening having the highest value. It will be obvious also that various other games may be played with the apparatus herein described, thus rendering the device particularly desirable for use in clubs and the like where the tastes of the members vary to a considerable extent.

Although the floor 2 of the alley is preferably inclined upwardly toward its rear end, the same can if desired be level throughout its length or can be inclined upwardly as far as the point of the supplemental platform 13. It is of course to be understood that section 3 is to be detachably secured to the post of the pit frame, any suitable means being provided for that purpose. Also if desired that section of the floor on which the platform 13 rests may be made in .two sections divided longitudinally. The return trough or gutter is to be elevated at the foot of the alley so as to be at about the same height as atthe point where the balls start on their return from the pit. The sides and the floor of the alley may be padded at the sides of the supplement platform 18 and the sides of the pit are paddedas ordinarily.

It is of course to be understood that the game apparatus as herein described can be made in any desired size so as to adapt it for use in rooms of different sizes.

If preferred the operation disclosed in Fig. 8 may be used in connection with balls, which, at the outset of the game, may be placed in the same manner as shown in F ig. 9.

Obviously various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

What is claimed is l. A game apparatus including a main alley floor a sectional auxiliary ball elevating platform thereon at the target end thereof and constituting a continuation of the main floor, and means for adjusting one of the sections of the platform with relation to the other section.

2. A game apparatus including a main alley floor, a sectional auxiliary ball elevating platform removably mounted thereon at the target end thereof and constituting a continuation of the main floor, and means for adjusting one of said sections with relation to the main floor.

3. A game apparatus including a main floor, and an auxiliary ball elevating platform removably mounted thereon at one end thereof and constituting a continuation of the floor, said platform comprising an inclined front section and an adjustable rear section.

4. A game apparatus including a main alley floor, an inclined ball-elevating section thereon at the target end thereof, a second section hingedly connected to the ball elevating section, and means for adjusting said second section with relation to the horizontal.

5. An attachment for bowling alleys comprising an inclined forwardly tapered ballelevating panel, means carried thereby for engaging the floor of an alley, a rear panel hingedly connected to the tapered panel, and an adjustable support for the hinged panel.

6. A game apparatus including a main floor, and a forwardly and downwardly inclined auxiliary ball elevating platform thereon at the target end thereof, said platform consisting of a front panel tapered toward its lower or front end, and a rear panel movably connected to the front panel.

7. Game apparatus including a main floor, and an auxiliary platform removably mounted thereon, said platform consisting of an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front panel having rearwardly diverging side edges and a rear panel hingedly connected to the front panel, and an adj ustahle support for the hinged panel.

8. Game apparatus including a main floor, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined auxiliary platform of varying width mounted upon said floor, pivotally supported targets above the platform, and means for limiting the movement of the targets.

9. Game apparatus including a sectional main floor, one of said sections being reversible and having a series of recesses in one face.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL S. STAEBLER.

Witnesses:

DYER FORD,

J. E. PATRICK. 

